Mildenhall: Jury clears man accused of helping double murderer

A SUFFOLK man accused of helping a double murderer by letting him into his home following the killings and giving him a change of clothing before driving him away from the area has been cleared by a jury.

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Christopher Line had knocked on Michael Clinton’s front door and told him that he had “blown away” two people, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

Instead of calling the police, Clinton had allegedly invited Line into his home before “taking control” of the situation and phoning another friend to discuss what they should do, said Karim Khalil QC, prosecuting.

Clinton, 42, of Church Close, Beck Row, near Mildenhall, denied doing an act intended to pervert the course of justice on March 15, 2011, by assisting Christopher Line to evade arrest and was found not guilty after a trial.

Mr Khalil told the court that on March 15 last year the two men – David Castell, 29 and Shane Hill, 20 – had travelled from Essex to set light to caravans on a plot occupied by Line and his employer Sam Vinden at Willow Park, Beck Row.

Giving evidence during the trial Clinton, who is a lorry driver, said he had not known what to do when Line, who is serving a minimum of 35 years of a life sentence for the two murders, turned up on his doorstep.

He said that he was worried that as Line had killed two people he might kill him as well.

He said he had driven Line to Soham to get him out of his house as he did not want to be involved.

Dramatic increases in the average age of people in Suffolk have been highlighted in a report which reveals that in some areas nearly one in 10 are expected to be aged 85 or over in the next two decades.